Movie review: Tom Cruise is gleefully out of control in crazy-true ‘American Made’

Friday

Sep 29, 2017 at 6:00 AM

By Al Alexander/For the Patriot Ledger

Tom Cruise has had more ups and downs than a worn-out airplane. But his career is back in line for takeoff with “American Made,” a devilishly funny concoction loosely based on the zany exploits of an enterprising C.I.A. – oops, excuse me – “I.C.A.” pilot who entertainingly played both ends against the middle while simultaneously working for his Uncle Sam and such south-of-the-border miscreants as Pablo Escobar, Manuel Noriega and the I’d-rather-snort-than-fight Contra revolutionaries.

The story, culled from a funny, breakneck script by Gary Spinelli, is one of those I-can’t-believe-it’s-true jobs like “American Hustle,” where you’re sure it defies credulity until you go to Google and are shocked to learn that about 90 percent of what you just saw really happened. And, yes, it really did include supporting roles by the likes of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Oliver North. What fun! And what makes it such a blast is Cruise at the top of his game as smart-as-a-whip, gullible-as-heck TWA pilot Barry Seal. When we first meet him (that 20-megawatt Cruise smile always firmly in place) his Seal is so bored flying to such glamorous places as Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe that he creates his own turbulence by intentionally dropping his plane a couple thousand feet just to get a quick rise out of his snoozing passengers.

So, is it any wonder that he jumps at an opportunity presented to him by a perfectly creepy and vanilla C.I.A. agent named “Shafer” (a terrific Domhnall Gleeson)? It’s 1979, and the job entails flying the “world’s fastest prop plane” over such Central American hotbeds as Panama, Nicaragua and other banana republics the U.S. fears are becoming Communist strongholds. Barry’s job is simple: take as many pictures of troop movements as he can without getting shot down. He’s a smash at it, natch. But with a pregnant wife (Sarah Wright) and a couple of kids to support back at the abandoned airstrip he operates in tiny Mena, Arkansas, Barry asks for more money. He’s denied, but not deterred. Instead of just flying South and taking pictures, he reasons, why not make the most of the trip back. And given the time and place, there’s no more lucrative commodity to move than the tons of cocaine reaped by what would soon become the Escobar-led Medellin Drug Cartel in Colombia.

And, like Barry says in occasionally breaking the third wall, that’s what happened before stuff got really crazy. How crazy, I will not say because it’s so much fun finding out for yourself, as Barry progresses from running drugs to running guns to running the likes of Ollie North clean out of the White House. It’s a fascinating story well told by director Doug Liman, who previously guided Cruise through one of his best films – 2014’s brilliant “Edge of Tomorrow.” Like that mind-twister, “American Made” loves piling on the lunacy with shovels full of deadpan humor, the kind Cruise delivers so charmingly well. But this time with an impeccable Bayou drawl.

We should hate his Barry, especially for all the lives he indirectly ruins by dropping tons and tons of cocaine from on high above U.S. soil. But Cruise makes it impossible to do anything but eagerly follow him along on his outrageous, money-making schemes that will culminate in creating a series of major embarrassments for the U.S. government – none bigger than playing a major role in the Iran-Contra affair that at one point threatened the Reagan presidency.

Drawing inspiration from similar films like “American Hustle,” “Blow” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Liman gleefully decks his film out in kitschy 1980s paraphernalia; including clips of old Reagan films cleverly sewn together to illustrate the president’s hatred of those dirty commies. Even better, we’re treated to a reprise of Nancy Reagan’s infamous “just say no” spiel on national television. Hilarious! Especially now knowing that her husband’s behind-the-scenes machinations were unintentionally allowing more coke into the U.S. than ever before.

Liman continues that acerbic wit throughout. And it’s infectious. As is Cruise, who puts the entire film on his shoulders and nicely pulls it through, even when occasionally encountering pockets of dirty air. Like, for instance, giving Barry a wife who is not only about 25 years his junior but also looks more like a bored supermodel than a gullible woman who politely never asks from where the dozens of suitcases full of cash are coming from. No matter. This is Cruise’s show all the way, and he delivers with a performance that will take you higher than any drug or airplane ever could. Still, watch out! It’s a long way down; but it’s an incredible rush – right up until Barry is about to hit the ground.